


lunar galaxy

by 00hjs



Series: just stray kids things [8]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Kinda, M/M, Moon, Possible Character Death, Sad, Seo Changbin-centric, Slow Burn, binsung, for like 2 secs idek, i guess, idk - Freeform, im not loyal dont @ me, not really if you think about it, there need to be more binsung fics oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 11:37:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16117604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00hjs/pseuds/00hjs
Summary: dear moon boy,don’t mind me, but i had to go. the stars were calling me. if you look up at the moon, though, i’ll be right next to her.don’t cry too much, moon boy. you know i love you. and the stars love you too. i would know. i’m one of them now.i love you.





	lunar galaxy

_stars will hug us hard and make us into fair galaxies_

_-Shaun, Lunisolar_

 

diamonds.  
  
changbin thinks of stars in the sky as diamonds that lost their way underground and fell to the sky. it’s a twisted way of thinking, honestly, and it doesn’t really make sense to anyone other than him.   
  
but when he’s walking under the moonlit sky and counting them, he’s sure they’re winking their approval down at him.   
the diamonds, changbin thinks, are unfortunate. but in a way, they are special. underground, diamonds can’t shine. changbin thinks that in the sky, diamonds finally find their way to shine. every story has a good side to it if he can think hard enough.   
  
the wind is blowing hard tonight, in icy gusts that bring changbin’s black bangs into his eyes. vaguely, he thinks he needs to get them cut. they’re intrusive. annoying. nonetheless, he loves them. he’s pretty sure even chan’s said something about how longer hair frames his face better. a compliment from chan is all the approval he needs.   
  
the skin of his arms lifts as more wind huffs his way and brings his sweatshirt down to cover his palms. better.   
he’s not quite sure where he’s going. it’s one of those nights. walking is a way to clear changbin’s mind. besides, the stars tell him stories no one else ever can. stories only he can understand. he likes listening to them.   
tonight, changbin approaches somewhere he’s pointedly avoided every night of his life.   
  
the broken warehouse.   
  
years ago, it’d been a thriving flower shop. vines would slink down the outsides and flowers coated the walls of the inside all the way to the ceiling. the walls were clear glass so the sunlight always sprayed rainbows all over the floor and it always had a sweet smell, like honey and lilacs and strangely enough, strawberry Twizzlers.   
  
then, the owners had lost business. the sweet woman’s husband died in a car crash and the flowers wilted slowly, almost as if they were grieving with her. eventually, it was cleaned out and they’re left with an empty glass warehouse, dark and shattered on one side.   
  
changbin pointedly avoids it whenever he walks out. it sends chills down his spine and shivers through his bones whenever he does. tonight, he’s feeling brave. he steps over the grass and rattles the doorknob gently.   
he’s not the least bit surprised when it falls off in his hands and the heavyset door swings open.   
  
changbin had always loved one part of the store more than others. there’d been a set of glass stairs that led all the way to the roof, pink and blue flowers curling around the rails and honey coloured flowers waving from the ceiling. on the roof, there’d been another garden, complete with rosebuds to day lilies and wafting that honey scent in the air. changbin would always sit on the edge of that roof and breathe in the warm air and watch the sun. every once in a while, the sweet lady would bring him a cookie or a piece of lemon cake and sit with him, talking about nothing and everything.   
  
now, changbin steps up the stairs lightly. there’s a musty, stale scent in the air. it what changbin imagines cobwebs would smell like. he’s honestly afraid the case will give way under his weight, but he makes it to the trapdoor and pulls it open. he has to pull hard because it’s jammed into place. when it finally slams open, changbin gets a mouthful of dust and a nasty long-legged spider on his shoulder.   
  
he pulls himself through the opening and steps onto the roof. he looks around slowly, biting his lip. the roof’s glass boxes are still there, but they’re strangely empty and the edges seem more frayed than before, like they’ve been brutally abused. probably by the wind.   
  
it’s then that changbin notices he’s not quite alone. across the roof sits a figure, a shadowed figure with its legs dangling over the edge. it reminds changbin so much of himself that he almost gets dizzy for a second.   
  
a sudden impulse pushes him all the way over and he finds himself stepping through the glass boxes to get to the person sitting there.   
things don’t go quite according to plan, though. he trips once and smashes to the floor, letting out a highly ungracious screech as he hits the floor. he gains the attention of the person on the roof as he rolls into a sitting position. 

“please don’t die, a dead body is hard to account for if you’re the only two people present.” 

changbin blinks. the wind pulls harder, almost like it’s nudging him to answer. the stars seem to twinkle a little brighter at him. the person still hasn’t turned around, but it’s a boy. well, he’s pretty sure it is.   
  
changbin flushes and stands up, dropping down quietly next to the boy and letting his own feet drape over the edge. he tries not to dwell on the fact that his legs are fairly shorter than the boy’s own. 

“what are you doing up here?” 

the boy laughs gently and lifts his face up to the moon. 

“i could ask you the same thing.” 

changbin shrugs. 

“you could. but i asked first.” 

“feisty. i like it.” the boy giggles again and changbin finds himself smiling up at the stars for some reason. 

“it’s beautiful up here.” 

changbin nods through the darkness and searches for the moon. the glowing orb is suspended just above him and he fixes his eyes on it, tilting his head back so he can almost feel the cold sheen on his face. 

“you come here a lot?” changbin says finally, and turns to see him looking down over, the edge, propped up on his two hands. 

“now and then.” he looks up and grins at changbin. “why? you gonna miss me already?” 

changbin sputters and reaches over to kick him in the knee. he’s rewarded with the boy’s laughter, which almost sounds like a music beat. a beat that his heart is finding very easy to dance to. 

“you wish.” 

“i like you, stranger.” it’s sudden, breaking the silence like it’s made of glass. 

changbin lets out a laugh. 

“thank you?” 

the boy stands up and dusts off the hem of the sweatshirt he’s wearing. and points to the stars. 

“they like you too, moon boy. don’t forget that.” and he smiles again, turns around, and he’s gone in an instant.

too soon, changbin thinks. way too soon. he gets up quickly when he realizes he hasn’t even gotten his name, but once he’s down the glass stairs, the boy is nowhere to be seen.   
but that night, as changbin’s walking home through the wind, he smiles up at the stars again. 

“i like you too.” he whispers, and this time he’s sure the stars wink back at him. 

the next day, changbin heads back, song playing in his head and a smile playing on his lips as he walks against the wind again.   
but he’s alone on the roof. for some reason, the wind seems colder than usual. the air seems more stale than normal. the moon seems duller. the stars don’t twinkle tonight. 

and the next. but he’s alone again. 

 _“now and then,”_  the boy had said,  _“why? you gonna miss me already?”_

strangely enough, changbin does. he misses him. he misses the boy who’d seemed to make the moon brighter than it already was. 

weeks pass, two, then three, then five. every night, changbin returns. every night, he heads back with chills running up and down his spine and a piece of his heart floating up to join the stars. 

today, he walks again, the stars glittering in his eyes and the moon smiling down at him. 

“tell me,” changbin says to no one in particular, “will you be here today?”

and maybe changbin’s crazy, but he swears the stars wink again.  
  
tonight, the air seems sharper than usual. the glass stairs seem cleaner, the trap door doesn’t have nearly as much dust. and when he steps onto the roof, there’s a shadow hunched over the edge. 

“hello, moon boy. it’s been a while.”

changbin grins as he drops down next to the boy. tonight, his hair is open to the stars, illuminated so it’s almost white rather than blonde. somewhere deep inside, changbin finds himself thinking the word  _ethereal_. 

the silence that encompasses them is neither awkward nor comfortable, but somewhere right in between. changbin almost enjoys it. 

“you know,” the boy starts, and changbin looks at him. he’s staring straight up with a faraway look on his face. 

“i think i want to be up there, too.” 

changbin bites his lip. 

“what’s that mean?” 

the boy lets out a laugh again, quiet. 

“i want to know what it feels like to be up so high. i think i’d want to be a star.” 

and before changbin can think of a response, he talks again. 

“even though stars burn out. see, i don’t think the point of a star is to last forever. i think the point of a star is to shine as bright as possible while it’s up there and so when it burns out, it lights up so bright that it creates new stars. it’s cool, you know?” 

changbin laughs this time. 

“you know some stars last for billions of years, right?” 

the boy shrugs. 

“billions of years isn’t forever, moon boy.” 

and changbin can’t argue with that. 

he stands up, and changbin watches as he stretches up towards the sky. 

“see you around, moon boy.” he smiles, and just like before, he’s gone. 

gone when changbin chases after him down the steps, gone when he exits the broken old warehouse and there’s no trace of him left except the silver moonlight and the teardrops of the stars. 

he doesn’t come back for a while. changbin thinks it’s way too empty without him. even when he sits for countless hours on the roof, he’s alone. and without him, the roof seems too cold. 

too cold, too frozen, too alone. but with him, it’s even colder. changbin doesn’t understand it. but sometimes, he’ll find himself sketching the boy’s face when he’s not sure he remembers what it looks like. it’s conflicting, in a way. he still doesn’t understand it. 

it’s exactly 54 days later when changbin steps up that glass staircase and onto that roof again and there he is, swinging his legs and smiling. 

“moon boy. i wondered when you’d come.” 

changbin shakes his head and makes his way over slowly. 

“and i wondered when you’d come, lover boy. you spend too long away.” 

the boy tilts his head and blinks. the stars are reflected in his eyes tonight. beautiful, changbin thinks. beautiful. 

“you miss me, huh?” 

tonight, his tone isn’t teasing. more filled with wonder. 

“sure.” changbin shrugs. “the roof’s cold without you.” 

they sit in silence. it’s not suffocating. it’s more like it’s hanging over them like a blanket. 

“do you think,” he begins, and changbin listens intently, “if i jumped, i’d go up there?” 

changbin stiffens at that. 

“if you  _what_?”

“relax,” he laughs, “i’m not going to do it. but i’m asking. if i jumped, would i go up there?” 

changbin fixes a cold glare on him. 

“no. i think if you jumped, you’d end up in a hundred messy pieces beneath the ground. that’s what i think.” 

the boy shakes his head. 

“that’s not what i mean.” 

changbin sighs. 

“then what do you mean?” 

the boy shakes his head again and gets up. 

“the stars are disappointed in you tonight, moon boy.” 

for some reason, when changbin heads home, he feels weighed down under the stars. and for some odd reason, he’s sure the stars are disappointed in him, even if he’s not sure why. 

the next time is 23 days later. earlier than usual, changbin notes. maybe he’s trying. 

“well hello, moon boy. joining me again?” 

changbin does. when doesn’t he?

“you know, my parents used to own this place.” 

changbin stiffens. 

“they did?” 

the boy nods and reaches out a finger, almost as if he’s touching the stars. 

“when i was little, all i wanted to do was pour some moonlight into a jar and grow it into a flower. when i got older, obviously i figured out it wasn’t possible, so i did the next possible thing. my parents already loved plants, so,”

his breath hitches and changbin closes his eyes. 

“so i found the next closest thing. moon dahlias, they’re called. silver and purple flowers. i call them moonflowers. they’re breath-taking.” 

 _you’re breath-taking_ , changbin thinks. _just like the moon._  

“when my father died, my mother lost all interest in flowers. she let them all die. i saved one moon dahlia. it’s still here. i come back every once in a while to water it. in a way, i feel like i’m talking to the moon.” 

when changbin opens his eyes, there are tears painting the other boy’s face. and changbin swears he’s crying pure moonlight. 

tonight when he leaves, he says something new.

“the moon is sad, moon boy. cheer her up for me, will you?” 

and on changbin’s way home, he blows kisses to the moon. and call him crazy, but he’s sure the moon smiles a sad smile when he enters his house. 

changbin sees him many times after that. he shows up more frequently, and with him he always brings something new. something that makes changbin’s heart beet and his brain mess itself up. 

“moon boy,” the boy says one night, “how do you know if you’re in love?” 

changbin takes a bite of the strawberry Twizzler and chews it thoughtfully. 

“i guess it’s different for everyone. like, the person makes you feel stuff, i guess emotionally.” 

the boy seems to consider what changbin says and moves closer to him. 

“and how do you know if someone’s in love with you, moon boy?” 

“well, you don’t.” changbin says. “you need to make a move first. why? you find someone special?” 

the boy shrugs. 

“maybe. you know, i’ve only ever loved the moon. but i think i’ve found someone better than her.” 

changbin pretends his heart doesn’t sink at that. 

“good for you, lover boy.” he says instead. 

“if you love someone, moon boy,” the boy muses, “can you kiss them?” 

changbin thinks vaguely that he wouldn’t mind if the boy kissed him. 

“sure.” he says thickly, and swallows the last of his Twizzler. 

“moon boy, can i kiss you?” 

and changbin’s eyes widen comically. but he nods slowly, dropping the wrapper on the roof slowly. 

his lips are cold, changbin notices. beautifully cold.  

“i think i love you, moon boy.” 

“i think i love you too, lover boy.” 

changbin doesn’t see him for a full four months after that. he misses him more than he can even imagine. he’s sure the moon is crying, too. it hurts. 

and then, one night, he walks up to the old warehouse, and there’s a single flower on the staircase. It’s purple in the center, almost violet as the night sky, and the petals are a glowing silver. a piece of folded paper is tucked into its petals. 

changbin opens it slowly. 

 _dear moon boy,_  
_don’t mind me, but i had to go. the stars were calling me. if you look up at the moon, though, i’ll be right next to her._  
_don’t cry too much, moon boy. you know i love you. and the stars love you too. i would know. i’m one of them now._  
_i love you._  

changbin picks up the flower and drops the paper. he ignores how the ink is smudged at some sections, almost as if he’d shed those moonlit tears on it. changbin heads up the stairs slowly, almost numb, and locates the moon. 

and there, next to it, is a beautiful, bright star. ethereal, changbin thinks. always ethereal. 

and call him crazy. but he swears the star winks at him. 

three days later, changbin gets a notice from the sweet lady that her one and only son han   jisung has passed away from leukemia. changbin swears he won’t cry, but he weeps for an hour when he’s alone in his apartment. 

he walks to the broken warehouse and steps onto the roof. sure enough, the beautiful bright star smiles from its position next to the moon. he lays the flower down, directly under the star. 

“shine bright, lover boy.” he whispers. 

and maybe he’s seeing things. 

but he swears the star whispers good night back. 

**Author's Note:**

> um im not too sure what this is but i gotta do my hw now so if it was okay,  
> comment and kudos? thanks loves  
> <3


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